


Morning will come,  And I’ll do what’s right

by Calicoskies



Category: The Walking Dead
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 09:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3245033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calicoskies/pseuds/Calicoskies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes placed directly after 5.8 "Coda", Songfic based on "I Can't make you love me" by Bonnie Rait.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning will come,  And I’ll do what’s right

The old bar was now cleared, secured and barricaded.  Tyreese and Rick were now tackling the generator to see if it had any life left as Daryl kept watch, leaning against the old battered jukebox catty-corner from the main entrance.

The others quickly went to work to set up camp for what they all hoped would be for the next couple of days, though they would take any hours they could get. Movement was still an effort for Daryl - not that he’d let anyone know it - waking up and hunting and getting through each day. He needed to keep moving so those quiet times, those flashes of lying beside her and refusing to leave her, would stay back in the dark recesses numbing him from the dull ache.

She was gone like so many others before her, and yet he still loved her with every fiber of his being.

 but she was gone.  Just gone.

The lights flickered, dimmed crackling from dust and disuse and then with a whirl they had electricity. A muffled whoop of joy was instantaneous among the battered rag-tag party. The jukebox sprung to life along with the lights, a soft sultry refrain poured forth.

~~

_'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't  
You can't make your heart feel something it won't_

_Here in the dark, in these final hours_

_I will lay down my heart and I feel the power_

_But you won't, no, you won't_

~~

Daryl slid to the floor, the crossbow clattering beside him. Carl made a move to turn off the jukebox but Rick stayed him with a firm gesture. “Come on son." He steered his son and the others away from Daryl.

Daryl’s eyes were open but he couldn’t see them watching him. His mind rushed back to cradling her in his arms that last time. She had felt so warm and light. Her blond head had been damp which made her slightly slippery to handle but he couldn’t let her go, not even with Maggie screaming those wounded animal guttural sobs. He was not going to let her go after having just found her.  He sat down against the wall on that rooftop of the hospital. Maggie had slid down next to him sobbing.  Even then, he wouldn’t let her go. He couldn’t.

 

 

 

~~

_Morning will come,  And I’ll do what’s right_

_Just give me till then, To give up this fight_

_And I will give up this fight_

~~

Maggie and Daryl had held Beth as the light began to fade from the sky. Occasionally Daryl could faintly hear Maggie whimper and then Glenn murmur inaudibly to her but he couldn’t see her, he couldn’t see anything but the blur of dark and light in his own swollen eyes. He could just make out Beth’s pale hand entwined in his by the light of the full moon.

~~

_And here in the dark, in these final hours_

_I will lay down my heart, I will feel the power_

_But you won’t, no you won’t_

~~

Time stood still as he held her but time marched on without heed of the fact that Beth was just gone. 

Eventually Maggie slung her arms around Daryl and Beth, the salt stinging their faces as they silently wept all the tears they possessed.

~~

_Morning will come, and I’ll do what’s right_

_Just give me till then to give up this fight,_

_And I will give up this fight_

~~

Glenn was the one to untangle Maggie from Beth. Daryl was the one to cradle Beth one final time as everyone said good bye. He stared at the precious cargo he carried, willing her to wake up as his heart broke again, and again and again. Finally Rick shepherded him towards the van in which he would drive Daryl to a spot where they could bury yet another one of their own.

 

 

~~

Daryl woke up as the generator gave its last gasp. His face was hot and it hurt but there was work to be done. Picking up his cross bow, he murmured to rick that he was going out to hunt.  As we all have our jobs to do.


End file.
